1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an outside handle assembly of a vehicle. More particularly, it relates to an outside handle assembly of a vehicle, which can assemble a one-piece outside handle to a handle base without any interference with a weight balance.
2. Background Art
As well known, an outside handle assembly that is mounted in a door of a vehicle functions as an interface for a user to open and close the door of the vehicle.
The outside handle assemblies basically include an outside handle grip (hereinafter, referred to as a handle grip) that is exposed from the outer surface of a door panel and is actually manipulated by a user, and an outside handle base (hereinafter, referred to as a handle base) that is located inside the door panel and is coupled to the outside handle grip such that the handle grip can be pulled from the outside handle base.
As shown in FIGS. 5A through 5C showing an outside handle assembly according to a related art, a pivot shape part 12 is formed at an inner end of a handle grip 10, and a straight operating lever 14 is integrally formed at the other inner end of the handle grip 10. The pivot shape part 12 of the handle grip 10 is pivotably mounted on a lever shaft 22 at one side of a handle base 20. The operating lever 14 is inserted into a handle lever 24 at the other side of the handle base 20, and then is fastened with a mounting screw 26.
Also, a balance weight 30 is mounted at the rear side of the handle surface 20 pivotably by the medium of a return spring.
Accordingly, when the handle grip 10 is pulled, the handle lever 24 coupled to the operating 14 of the hand grip 10 using the mounting screw 26 is pulled, and at the same time, the balance weight 30 connected to the handle lever 24 is pivoted. Then, a cable connected to the balance weight 30 is pulled, and locking of a door latch assembly connected to the cable is released to open the door.
However, when an operating lever of a hand grip has a straight shape, there is a limitation in that fabrication workability of, for example, coupling of a mounting screw is reduced, and since a separate handle lever has to be mounted in a handle base to operate a balance weight, its assembly structure may be complicated.
In another example according to a related art, which has been proposed in consideration of such a limitation, an outside handle assembly as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B includes an operating lever 14 that is perpendicularly bent. The operating lever 14 may be inserted into a handle base 20, and then may be coupled to a balance weight 30.
That is, the balance weight 30 is mounted at the rear side of the handle base 20 in advance. The balance weight 30 may be transferred by a center screw 32. The operating lever 14 of the handle grip 10 that is perpendicularly bent is inserted into the handle base 20, and then is rotated at its original position to allow the balance weight 30 to move along the thread of the center screw 32. In this case, a pullback lever 34 of the balance weight 30 is allowed to move up to an end bent part 16 of the operating lever 14.
Since the balance weight 30 is mounted by means of a return spring 36, the balance weight 30 is pivoted in a door open direction, and then is again pivoted to its original position according to the resilient force of the return spring 36.
Accordingly, when a handle grip 10 is pulled, the end portion of the operating lever 14 of the handle grip 10, that is, the bent part 16 pushes the pullback lever 34 of the balance weight 30 to be pivoted and thus allows the balance weight 30 to be pivoted. At the same time, a cable connected to the balance weight 30 is pulled to unlock the door latch assembly and open the door.
However, since the balance weight has to be horizontally transferred toward the operating lever of the handle grip through a manipulation of rotating the center screw, the fabrication workability may be reduced.
Accordingly, a simpler assembly structure in which an operating lever having a perpendicularly-bent shape is inserted without an interference with a balance weight and then the operating lever of a handle grip can be subsequently coupled to the balance weight is required.
The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.